In February 2023, Canadian military pilots flying Twin Otter aircraft struggled to find appropriate sea ice for landing a Hercules transport plane in the Arctic due to insufficient thickness. During the same mission, extreme cold hampered the movement of soldiers across the tundra, grounding helicopters and damaging equipment. This presents a significant challenge to military readiness, as the traditional frigid climate, once a reliable defense, is becoming increasingly unpredictable. The situation reflects broader concerns over Canada’s northern sovereignty amid rising climate change effects and renewed international attention to the Arctic region.
"For generations, the intense cold of the Arctic has served as the bulwark of a military defence of the north. But a rapidly changing climate threatens to unspool that defence."
"The teams scoured 10 other possible spots, stretching as far west in the Arctic as Herschel Island. In the end, no site proved suitable for a sea-ice landing area."
"That same month, during the same mission, the cold was snarling plans to move soldiers across the tundra, grounding transport helicopters and breaking snowmobiles."
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